Monthly Archives: July 2017

Dr Simon Elliott, who completed his PhD in the Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, has just published his second historical book, Empire State: How the Roman Military Built an Empire (Oxbow Books, 2017).

The armed forces of Rome, particularly those of the later Republic and Principate, are rightly regarded as some of the finest military formations ever to engage in warfare. Less well known however is their use by the State as tools for such non-military activities in political, economic and social contexts. In this capacity they were central instruments for the Emperor to ensure the smooth running of the Empire.

In this book the use of the military for such non-conflict related duties is considered in detail for the first time. The first, and best known, is running the great construction projects of the Empire in their capacity as engineers. Next, the role of the Roman military in the running of industry across the Roman Empire is examined, particularly the mining and quarrying industries, but also others. They also took part in agriculture, administered and policed the Empire, provided a firefighting resource and organised games in the arena.

The soldiers of Rome really were the foundations on which the Roman Empire was constructed: they literally built an empire. In the book, Simon lifts the lid on this less well-known side to the Roman army, in an accessible narrative designed for a wide readership.

Simon’s PhD project considered industry in Roman Kent and the role of the Roman military therein, and was supervised by Dr Steve Willis. Last year, Simon published his first historical book, Sea Eagles of Empire: The Classis Britannica and the Battles for Britain (The History Press, 2016).

From the 31 July 2017 until approximately 11 September 2017, DCB Kent will undertake the refurbishment of part of the first floor of Keynes Block A.

There will be contractors vehicle and plant movements throughout this period in the area around the main entrance to Keynes College and two of the six disabled parking bays will be taken out of use to allow access for the work to be carried out.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation whilst we undertake this essential work. If you have any queries, please contact the Helpdesk on Extn. 3209.

The Leverhulme Trust has just awarded a research grant for a project entitled ‘Beyond Personal Wellbeing: Mapping the Social Production of Mindfulness in England and Wales’, for which Richard King, Professor of Buddhist and Asian Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, is co-investigator.

Mindfulness is now being employed not only as a therapy, but also to ensure national well-being, happiness, and flourishing; productivity, performance, and efficiency; sustainability, creativity and activism. But what does the exponential rise of mindfulness tell us about the social world in which we are currently living?

Beginning in October 2017, the project will investigate mindfulness provision in England and Wales, looking at the increasing availability of mindfulness practice, specifically in the fields of health and well-being, education, business, politics, and religion.

Richard has recently given a Think Kent lecture on mindfulness, entitled ‘Mindfulness and the Buddhist Tradition’.

Registering for resits:
Exam results state whether exams or coursework need to be resat / re-submitted. All resit candidates are automatically allocated a seat in the exam hall – there is no need to register.
If you have passed a module, you cannot request or opt to resit this. The credit framework clearly specifies that degree classifications are to be based on the original mark achieved (or the capped mark if the module was resat).

Resit fees:
Fees for resit examinations taken on campus, or resubmission of coursework
• One Module £65.00;
• two Modules £130.00;
• three or more Modules £195.00;
• a different fee applies for students taking overseas resits (see https://www.kent.ac.uk/student-records/exams/students/resits.html)
You will have received an email with information on how to make payment. This is done via the online store.
Any outstanding fees will be added to your student account.

Resit Exam Venues:

Canterbury Exam Venues:

Medway Exam Venues:

The sports halls in the Sports Centre

Pilkington Building

Gillingham Building

Adapted Arrangements Venues:

Adapted Arrangements Venues:

Keynes Seminar Rooms 11-17

Gillingham Building

KSA 1 – Keynes College

Bag Room:
If you have a bag to drop off please arrive 30 minutes before the start of your exam at the following locations:Canterbury Campus – Keynes Seminar Room 7Medway Campus – Pilkington Building Room 014
Gillingham Building Room 2 – 03

Absence from a resit exam:
Candidates must be available for August resits if required; concessions cannot be considered for those who cannot sit due to holiday, travel or other personal arrangements.
If you are not intending to attend your resit please inform us in writing in advance at exams@kent.ac.uk . Failure to do so will mean you will still be charged the resit fee.

What to bring
• KentOne Card. If you have lost this please contact us.
• Pens, pencils and writing equipment (in a clear pencil case)
• Still water in a clear plastic bottle

What NOT to bring
• Mobile Phones / Smart Watches – All electronic devices are prohibited from exam venues. Any device brought into an exam venue will be reported to your school.
• Bags and coats
• Food (Unless permission given prior)
• Any drink other than water

In recognition of the quality and popularity of its short courses and study days, and as part of a wider plan to showcase the Medway campus to the local community, the Tonbridge Centre was asked to deliver Saturday lectures for the University of the Third Age (U3A) Medway group at the University’s Medway Campus.The three-hour lectures were designed to appeal to U3A members and subjects covered included The Black Death, Tudor and Elizabethan Propaganda and Art History. They were a great success, inspiring the audience with both the subject and the enthusiasm and knowledge of the lecturers. Feedback from the enthusiastic audiences has provided suggestions for future lectures and study days in these and other subjects and the Tonbridge Centre staff are now planning the programme for 2017-18.

About the eventOn Tuesday 4 July, the Hub for Innovation and Enterprise collaborated with Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK) to hold an Enterprise Exchange event focusing upon ‘The European Perspective – Innovative approaches to delivering enterprise / entrepreneurship education’. The one-day conference took place on the University campus at Darwin Conference Suite and greeted guests from across Europe.

Aim of the eventThe aim of the event was to obtain a European perspective on enterprise and entrepreneurship education within universities, whilst comparing and contrasting different approaches to support entrepreneurs in universities and the local ecosystems. The latter part of the afternoon saw similarities and key issues across Europe and universities brought to life thanks to a question and answer session as well as round table discussions. Some of the themes highlighted were: the encouragement of societal change; development of creativity; and attitudes towards addressing motivation.

Encouraging societal changeEncouraging societal change domestically and globally through entrepreneurship was spearheaded by the University of Ghent but a theme fellow institutions have also taken away. Meanwhile, the need to develop creativity at a higher academic level, led to the discussion of introducing primary school age children to work alongside postgraduate students as suggested by Director of Innovation and Enterprise at Kent (KIE), Carole Barron.

Entrepreneurial qualities developmentWhereas, the motivation behind why students want to develop entrepreneurial qualities and entrepreneurship appeared to be a re-occurring question amongst universities. Instead of assessing motivation, we need to change how we address, develop and encourage motivation amongst students, was the key message portrayed by Professor Andy Penaluna from UWTSD.

The day was a huge success and the Hub for Innovation and Enterprise at the University of Kent looks forward to the next event held in collaboration with EEUK.